Gospel for Asia

Sabitha, 16, burned with curiosity to hear more about Jesus. The truth that God loved her was almost impossible for the teenager to believe. A seed of faith sprouted in her heart. Sabitha knew that Gospel for Asia (GFA) -supported pastor Ajoy, who first told her about Jesus, held a prayer meeting every day at her friend’s house. She could go there to hear more about the God who became a man. Sixteen-year-old Sabitha (pictured) lost her home and family when she followed Jesus. Then, through prayer, God restored to Sabitha what she had lost. Once she began attending prayer meetings, Sabitha realized Jesus was the only path for her. She decided to follow Him wherever He might lead. While attending worship services, Sabitha grew in her faith, and she learned to trust Jesus. Grateful to have a friend at the church, Sabitha watched her friend’s example of how to follow Jesus. Parents Throw Sabitha Out Then the bubble burst. Sabitha’s parents found out she had begun worshiping Jesus. They bec...

A dilemma lay before Rajvi and her husband, Parash: either sell their cows — a significant part of their livelihood — or endure sicknesses without medicine. Ultimately, Rajvi and Parash sold their cows, but the consequences of that decision would haunt them for years to come. Much like the cow with this woman pictured, the cow Rajvi and Parash received at a  Gospel for Asia (GFA) -supported gift distribution blessed their family in significant ways, providing milk to sell or drink and manure to fertilize their crops. A Family in Need Rajvi and Parash lived as farmers along with their four young children in a rural Asian village. After illness forced them to sell their cows — a primary source of money for farmers like them across Asia — just to afford medical care, their income suffered. Rajvi and Parash took up any labor jobs they could find in tandem with farming. Yet still, the money the couple earned couldn’t feed the entire family. Each passing day, poverty tightened its grip a...

According to a 2010 report consolidated by the Centers for Disease Control with information from the World Health Organization, 2,195 children die every day from diarrhea — which is more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. The same report also states diarrheal diseases account for the second-highest cause of death among children under age 5. However, strides have been made to combat and neutralize these diseases, with many organizations and governments working together. One initiative that has found success are hand washing awareness programs. Residents of this leprosy colony received hand soap and hygiene instructions from GFA-supported workers in celebration of Global Handwashing Day. Defense Against Disease Gospel for Asia (GFA) is one among many organizations spreading hygiene awareness in Asia, most notably hand washing. Washing hands is one of the easiest ways to prevent the spread of disease. Programs organized by Gospel for Asia (GFA) -supported workers help bring to lig...

He was only a teenager when he answered God’s calling. Feeling an overwhelming, unconditional love for the physically and spiritually impoverished population of India, he stood on an elevated rock amongst a bustling Bangalore bus station. He was only 16 years old, skinny, too young to even be part of the mission teams that proselytized in Northern India, and painfully shy. Yet he still stood on that mound, responding to the distinctive voice of God. He sang a familiar children’s chorus and then began preaching to a crowd of strangers, allowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to fall from his lips like cool water to a thirsty desert. Photo by Wen-Yan King/Flickr (CC) This same teenager later studied under a scholarship at the Criswell Bible Institute in Texas and became pastor of a small Dallas church at the age of 23. But working amongst the wealth and affluence of America’s population led K.P. Yohannan back to his original call — to serve India and the desperate needs of Asia. His pastora...